5 U.S. Cities Too Dangerous to Move To

The odds of murder, rape, armed robbery and aggravated assault rise in some unfortunate U.S. cities.

East St. Louis crime rates have soared as the city struggled through decades of population losses, job declines and the construction of highways that bisected its neighborhoods.

Situated across the Mississippi River from St. Louis (America's eighth-most-dangerous city), East St. Louis' violent-crime rate is more than 15 times the national average -- and includes an aggravated-assault rate that's nearly 20 times the norm. East St. Louis also has murder levels 18.6 times above what's typical given its size, as well as 8.8 times the average U.S. robbery rate and 7.1 times the usual rape rate.

Add in a property-crime rate that's nearly three times the national average -- including almost seven times as many car thefts as you'd expect given the city's 27,000 population -- and East St. Louis is easily America's most dangerous city. Residents have a 1-in-7 chance of becoming crime victims there in any given year.